Tenancy deposit protection time limits for compliance
A landlord or agent must protect a deposit paid by an assured or assured shorthold tenant and provide the prescribed information within the statutory time limit.
Time limit for deposit protection
A landlord or agent must protect a tenancy deposit and serve the prescribed information within 30 days of receiving the deposit.
When tenancy deposit rules apply
These rules apply to:[1]
an assured shorthold tenant who paid the deposit on or after 6 April 2012
an assured tenant paid who the deposit on or after 1 May 2026
Most private assured shorthold tenancies became assured tenancies automatically on 1 May 2026. Different timescales apply where the deposit was paid before 6 April 2012.
Sanctions for breaching tenancy deposit rules
A landlord or agent who fails to comply within the time limit could be subject to:
financial sanctions
restrictions on the use of a section 8 or section 21 notice to end the tenancy
Find out more about tenancy deposit protection.
Deposits received between 6 April 2007 and 5 April 2012
Before 6 April 2012 the time limit for compliance with the tenancy deposit protection rules was 14 days.
The landlord or agent who received a deposit between 6 April 2007 and 5 April 2012 had 14 days to protect the deposit and serve the prescribed information.[2] There were no sanctions for late compliance as long as the deposit was protected and prescribed information was served before the court hearing, even if this was after the 14-day time limit.[3]
From 6 April 2012, the time limit for compliance was extended to 30 days.[4]
Landlords or agents of assured shorthold tenancies in existence on 6 April 2012 had until 6 May 2012 to comply with the tenancy deposit protection obligations, unless they had done so already.[5]
In order to serve a valid section 21 notice on a tenancy where a deposit was received between 6 April 2007 and 5 April 2012 the landlord must have either:
protected the deposit before 6 May 2012
returned the deposit to the tenant before serving a section 21 notice
If the landlord failed to comply, the tenant could also make a section 214 claim for a sum of between one and three times the value of the deposit. Deposit compensation claims are subject to the Limitations Act 1980 and time limit for taking action is 6 years from when the breach occurred.
Deposit received before 6 April 2007
Even though the law governing the protection of tenancy deposits came into effect on 6 April 2007, most assured shorthold tenancies that commenced before this date are affected by the legislation.
Statutory periodic tenancy arose on or after 6 April 2007
The landlord or agent must have protected the deposit and served the prescribed information by 23 June 2015 where both:[6]
the deposit was paid for a fixed term tenancy before 6 April 2007
the tenancy then became a statutory periodic tenancy on or after 6 April 2007
If the deposit was not protected or the prescribed information not served, the:
tenant can make a section 214 claim for a sum of between one and three times the value of the deposit
landlord is prevented from serving a section 21 notice in most circumstances
Statutory periodic tenancy arose before 6 April 2007
Where a deposit was paid in respect of a fixed-term tenancy that became a statutory periodic tenancy before 6 April 2007, and has never been renewed since, the landlord or agent is not liable to a Section 214 claim if they failed to protect the deposit or serve the prescribed information. It is not clear whether a failure to serve the prescribed information would invalidate a section 21 notice in this scenario.
Replacement tenancies
A new tenancy replaces a previous tenancy where the:[7]
landlord and tenant are the same
premises are the same or substantially the same
This might also be known as renewing the tenancy.
The previous tenancy does not need to immediately precede the new tenancy.
Deposit protection for replacement tenancy
Where a deposit has been protected within the time limit and the tenancy is replaced by a new tenancy, the deposit protection requirements are met for the new tenancy if the:[8]
deposit was protected during the previous tenancy
prescribed information was given during the previous tenancy
deposit continues to be held in the same scheme as when the prescribed information was given
The landlord or agent does not have to protect the deposit again or serve the prescribed information for a replacement tenancy. This applies even if the deposit was protected, or the prescribed information was served, outside of the required time limits in the previous tenancy.[9]
Last updated: 1 May 2026